The Class of 65, The Sons of Champlin

In 1965 six legendary Bay Area bands got their start, Palo Alto in the South Bay had The Grateful Dead. Berkeley in the East Bay had Country Joe and the Fish. The West Bay had three entries in San Francisco, The Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Jefferson Airplane. And in the North Bay where I grew up, we had The Sons of Champlin. There were other Bay Area bands that got their start in 1965 but in my opinion, The Class of 65 laid the foundation for what was labeled psychedelic rock or the hard to define San Francisco Sound. I think the first few times I saw The Sons of Champlin during the sixties, there was always a basketball court beneath my feet. High school gyms were the perfect place to get your groove on and maybe even work up enough nerve to ask a girl to dance. Growing up in the mid to late 60s could be a very confusing time, Vietnam, the counterculture and the civil rights movement were all heady stuff for a youngling trying to find solid footing in the world. But when The Sons started playing all of life’s problems seemed to melt away like the rolling fog on Mount Tamalpais. During that time San Francisco was the center of the Rock and Roll Universe. And the almost sad irony of it all is that the Bay Area’s own native son, Bill Champlin, a two-time grammy winning singer, songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and guitarist, is probably better known for his time with the band Chicago than with his time with The Sons. But The Sons of Champlin never achieved the commercial success that The Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Grateful Dead enjoyed. Probably the least “psychedelic” of the class, The Sons brand of Rock and Roll had more of an R&B, Jazz, Rock, flow that incorporated a horn section along with a vibraphone that added a euphoric like tone to the mix. Their lead guitar player back then was Terry Haggerty, and he could match chops with any Bay Area guitarist, Jerry Garcia called him “unique and original, and “highly inventive in how he incorporates the tones of rock with the harmonies of jazz. And the same could be said for the whole band. “They were breathing fire. They were the most talented of all the San Francisco bands,” said Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. But despite being critically acclaimed, somehow audiences weren’t picking up what The Sons were throwing down commercially and they disbanded in 1977. So, Oakland born, Marin County raised, Bill Champlin, one of the Bay Area’s most talented musicians and soulful singers (He grew up listening to soul station KDIA) moved to Los Angeles and started working as a session vocalist and arranger on numerous recordings. A few of the artists he worked with included David Foster, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, Elton John, Boz Scaggs, and George Benson. He then embarked on a solo career before joining the band Chicago in 1981 for a 28-year run. He eventually reunited with the Sons along with his wife Tamera, and they still perform occasionally around the Bay Area. Here is The Class of 65, The Sons of Champlin. Produced and edited by LaMont R. DeBarbieri. Music by The Sons of Champlin. This video is a non-profit informative and commemorative labor of love. Video meets all fair use guidelines.